At the onset of his missionary career, Pastor Luis Rodríguez Molina and his wife, Lourdes Santiago, were dismayed at the lack of commitment from church members at the church they’d planted in Coamo, Puerto Rico. However, this apathy did not hamper the efforts of these Southern Baptists. Besides, from God’s divine perspective, this was only the beginning.
Rodríguez remembers the challenges faced during those uncertain days after being sent by Raham Baptist Church, Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico, to plant a church in Coamo.
When they arrived in the region, Rodríguez said he and his wife quickly noticed believers’ lack of commitment to attending the services. “When we were on our way to a prayer service, they started calling to excuse themselves from coming to the service. In that moment, I turned and looked at my wife and wondered if our efforts were really worth it. We began doubting if God was really involved.”
When Rodríguez and his wife arrived at the small church for the prayer service, only one other couple had come to intercede for God’s work there — but it was a couple with a very special need.
“With great sorrow in our hearts, we found brother Carlos Santiago and his wife, Andrea, who was kneeling in prayer,” Rodríguez recalled. Andrea’s hair had fallen out because of the chemotherapy she was undergoing to fight her cancer.
“I looked at my wife, she looked at me and the Lord spoke to my heart, saying, ‘For the love of that solitary life I’m sending you to Coamo. It’s one life, one soul. Don’t worry about the ones who made excuses and didn’t come.’”
Because of Andrea’s commitment, Rodríguez and his wife were motivated to press on with God’s challenge of planting a church in Coamo. The result was the creation of Raham Baptist Church, Coamo.
The Rodríguezes are missionaries for the North American Mission Board, responsible for planting churches in Puerto Rico. They are two of the 5,300 missionaries in the United States, Canada and their territories who receive a percentage of their support from the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering.
Rodríguez, 46, was ordained as a Southern Baptist pastor in 2001 by his local church at the time, Raham Baptist Church of Santa Isabel. He came from a background in business, with a concentration in accounting — working up to a vice president’s job at the company where he worked for more than 20 years.
Since becoming a missionary three years ago, he has completed coursework at Luther Rice Seminary in Puerto Rico and is planning to continue his studies at the Baptist Seminary of Puerto Rico, through Liberty University.
“My decision to become a missionary wasn’t an easy decision. I faced all sorts of difficulties,” Rodríguez said. “I quit a job with great benefits. Temptations came, uncertainty, good advice and bad advice. But God, who is rich in mercy, sustained me. My wife’s support was unconditional and awesome. I simply couldn’t resist what God wanted to do with me.”
While 85 percent of the population in Puerto Rico is Roman Catholics, the remaining 15 percent is made up various groups like Southern Baptists, who impact the culture through outlets like universities and schools, including the bilingual, Christian school — Coamo Christian Academy — Rodríguez and his church-planting team started three years ago.
The academy has met with great approval in the community. Beginning with only four students in 2006, the school now has more than 40 enrolled.
Adalberto Muñoz, a member of Rodríguez’s ministry team, said, “Pastor Luis and members of Raham Baptist Church in Coamo have a genuine calling from God to the ministry … You feel you are in a wholesome environment full of love for God and for people.” (NAMB)
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